News for Agency Staff

Items on this page provide information and resources beneficial to those working in the seniors sector.

Memory Cafes
Memory cafes are part of the
growing movement to make communities dementia-friendly and are for individuals
living with Alzheimer’s or a related disorder and they are also for family
members, friends, and professional caregivers of these individuals. The cafes
offer social connection, support, invigorating activity, and information. They
can be developed and run by many types of organizations including seniors
centres, social service or health care providers, faith communities, colleges,
museums, restaurants, and more. Jewish Family & Children's Service in
Boston has developed the Memory Cafe Toolkit which provides instructions to
help launch and sustain a memory cafe as well as templates that can be downloaded
and adapted.

8 Ways Nonprofits Can Fight Cyber Attacks
In the
wake of recent cyber attacks, nonprofit organizations with unsophisticated
cyber security measures may be concerned. This article provides eight tips for
how nonprofits can strengthen their security.

Vital Signs Grant
The Edmonton Community
Foundation is accepting applications for the 2017-2018 Vital Signs Grant which
supports initiatives designed to increase the sense of belonging to community. Priority
will be given to projects serving people with a high risk of social isolation
as identified in the Vital Signs report (those living in poverty, new Canadians, Indigenous
people, people with disabilities, seniors, and LGBTQ people), especially
initiatives that address intersectionality. Applicants can apply for up to
$10,000 to support their initiative.
Charities can only receive one grant per
calendar year. Funding is not intended to support existing or ongoing
activities, but may support the enhancement of existing initiatives. Examples
of initiatives that might be supported include events, pilots or prototypes,
initiatives that may help marginalized communities be more engaged with
existing programming, and organizational or community learning opportunities.
The
next deadline is June 15, 2018 for initiatives after August 1, 2018. For more
information contact ECF's Grants Team at grants@ecfoundation.org or by phone at
780-426-0015.

I’m Still Me: The Lived Experiences of Residents in
Designated Supportive Living Report
This report contains details of a Health
Quality Council of Alberta pilot project involving interviews with a small
sample of residents in designated supportive living. The purpose was to gain a
deeper understanding of their experiences. Specifically, this report
identifies, from residents’ perspectives, themes of what is working well and
what could be done to improve residents’ experiences in designated supportive
living.

Issuing donation receipts for gift cards
The Canada
Revenue Agency has released a new video which explains guidelines around issuing
donation receipts for the donation of gift cards and gift certificates.

Seniors isolation survey
The ESCC is involved in
a 3-year collective impact initiative (PEGASIS) that is aiming to reduce rates
of social isolation among the senior population in Edmonton. Six organizations
are collaborating with ESCC and each other to find new ways of working together
to address a range of factors that may lead to social isolation.
As part of
this work a baseline survey was completed with 724 Edmonton adults aged 55+ to
determine to what extent they feel connected and valued by family and friends
and whether they have support and help when they need it. Overall, 24% of
respondents scored as lonely on a validated loneliness scale, which is a
concerning fact. Loneliness is closely associated with social isolation. 42% of
respondents wanted to be more active in their communities or everyday life, but
common barriers such as cost (26%), health concerns (28%) and not wanting to go
alone (26%) prevented them.
Read more about the results of the baseline survey
and contact Tim Henderson at 780-423-5635 ext. 5 if you have questions.

Identifying what is important to seniors' health
in Alberta
The Seniors' Health Research Priority Setting Partnership is
conducting a survey to determine the priority areas for seniors’ health
research. You are invited to take part if you live or work in Alberta and are:
-an
older adult (65 years of age and over) or
-a caregiver of an older adult
(spouse; family member; friend; neighbour) or
-a clinician or health/social care
provider (doctor; nurse; care aides; allied health provider; pharmacist; social
worker) working with older adults
For more information, contact Billy Zhao by
telephone (403-944-3274) or email (bzzhao@ualberta.ca).

Volunteer Connector has arrived in Edmonton
A
new tool is available to help Edmonton organizations recruit volunteers. The
Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (ECVO) has been working with
Propellus in Calgary to expand their online tool to list Edmonton volunteer
opportunities and organizations. Any volunteer-based organization is welcome to
sign up and add their opportunities… for free! Volunteer Connector can be the
one-stop shop for volunteer opportunities in Edmonton. If you’re interested in
posting your volunteer opportunities, fill out this short form and ECVO will be
in touch. Visit volunteerconnector.org to see Edmonton opportunities.

Effect of provincial spending on social services
and health care on health outcomes in Canada: an observational longitudinal
study
This study, published January 22, highlights how community supports can
contribute to better health outcomes for seniors and improved resilience of
individuals as they age. The research suggests that by allocating greater
spending for social programs, we can reduce the need for some types of health
spending and improve health outcomes over time.

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